1. The famous hominin fossil named Lucy is the most studied examples of
a. Australopithecus robustus.
b. Australopithecus garhi.
c. Australopithecus afarensis.
d. Australopithecus bahrelghazali.
2. What feature best characterizes the ‘robust’ group of
Australopithecus?
a. Their extreme specializations for eating hard objects
b. their anatomical features that suggest at least some dependency on quadrupedalism
c. the anatomical features they share with Homo erectus
d. their exceptionally large brain size
3.Which statement accurately describes the general scientific consensus regarding the evolutionary relationships among early hominins?
a. Scientists generally agree that there is a single identifiable hominin lineage in which Australopithecus afarensis gave rise to Sahelanthropus tchadensis, which eventually became the genus Homo.
b. Most scientists agree that neither Australopithecus anamensis nor
Australopithecus garhi could have been ancestors of the genus Homo.
c. Most scientists agree that Australopithecus robustus was ancestors of the genus Homo.
d. There are a number of plausible explanations and there is no single model that scientists agree on.
4. Which anatomical leg structure best illustrates a feature that is useful for bipedalism?
a. a femur that does not connect to a patella
b. a femur that is larger near the hip than the near the knee
c. a femur that descends straight down from the side of the pelvis
d. a femur that angles from the hip to the knee
5. What is one negative impact of the structural changes that allow for bipedalism?
a. frequent headaches
b. frequent lower back pain
c. increased incidents of osteoporosis
d. increased incidents of arthritis
6. How might environmental changes have contributed to the rise of bipedalism?
a. The widespread occurrence of glaciers may have contributed to bipedalism because walking upright on ice is easier than walking on all fours.
b. The expansion of the grasslands and shrinking forests caused hominins to have to travel further for food, leading them to the most efficient transport strategy.
c. The increase in heavy rainfall caused hominins to walk upright in order to ford the increasingly common waterways more easily.
d. The expansion of tropical jungles caused early hominins to walk upright in order to more easily make their way through thick underbrush.
7. The primary tools of the Oldowan industry were
a. cores and flakes.
b. hammers.
c. picks and shovels.
d. cooking utensils.
8. ___________ appeared in Africa about 1.8 to 1.9 million years ago and was the first hominin to leave the continent.
a. Homo rudolfensis
b. Homo ergaster
c. Homo habilis
d. Homo erectus
9. What would an area littered with animal remains that have cut marks from stone tools indicate?
a. The area was a breeding ground.
b. The area was a pre-modern farm.
c. The area was a butchering site.
d. The area was a quarrying site.
10. Which statement below best characterizes the skull of
Homo erectus?
a. It is composed of rather thin, delicate bone.
b. It looks pentagonal when looking at it from the back.
c. It is remarkable in that it is almost perfectly spherical.
d. It lacks both the supraorbital torus and angular torus that are common in other hominin skulls.
11. Why is the discovery of the KNM-WT 15000 skeleton, also known as the Nariokotome boy, so important?
a. It is the only Homo erectus skeleton to be found with a stone tool in its hand.
b. It is the only Homo erectus fossil to provide evidence of that hominin’s brain size.
c. It is one of only three Homo erectus fossils that includes the skull and teeth.
d. It is one of only three Homo erectus post-cranial skeletons found and it is remarkably complete.
12. An anthropologist has found a fossil specimen that has a larger braincase, a small and less projecting face, small teeth, a large body, and small arms. This anthropologist’s find best illustrates which genus?
a. Australopithecus
b. Homo
c. Sahelanthropus
d. Orrorin
13. An archeologist specializing in stone tools has found a site where it appears early humans ate their butchered carcasses, slept, and made stone tools. This archeologist’s find best illustrates a:
a. quarrying site.
b. butchering site.
c. home base.
d. scavenging area.
14. What is the significance of finding animal tooth marks underneath the cut marks of early humans on fossilized animal remains?
a. Early hominins worked with large domesticated predators to bring down prey.
b. Early hominins had a cultural or religious interest in gathering animal bones for ceremonies.
c. Early hominins used animal carcasses to sharpen their tools.
d. Early hominins were scavengers at least some of the time.
15. Neandertal remains are most abundant on which continent?
a. Australia
b. Africa
c. Europe
d. South America
16. Which sentence best describes archaic H. sapiens?
a. They are definitely the ancestors of modern H. sapiens.
b. They may or may not be the ancestors of modern H. sapiens.
c. They are definitely the ancestors of H. erectus.
d. They may or may not be the ancestors of H. erectus.
17. A popular argument for why Neandertals have such prognathic faces and large noses is that they needed these features to:
a. better attract mates.
b. spot and track big game.
c. survive more comfortably in cold climates.
d. provide more structural support for their large brains.
18. What best characterizes the Upper Paleolithic tool industry?
a. reliance on blade-based technology
b. the invention of the hand axe
c. extensive utilization of hammerstones
d. the abandonment of stone tools
19. Why do “splitters” argue for designating Neandertals as
Homo neandertalensis?
a. Interbreeding between Neandertals and modern humans did not occur despite the groups’ spatial and temporal coexistence.
b. Labeling them such would lend weight to the argument that modern humans are directly descended from Neandertals.
c. Neandertals’ distinctive anatomy and limited geographic distribution indicate a specialized hominin taxon.
d. Such a designation would provide the Neander Valley with an appropriate recognition.
20. A skull found to be 10,000 years old, with a 1,350 cc brain capacity, bulbous and gracile shape, and rounded occipital region most likely is a member of which species?
a. H. erectus
b. H. neandertalensis
c. H. heidelbergensis
d. H. sapiens
21. Which of the following Neandertal behaviors illustrates a new behavioral development that emerged in the Middle Paleolithic?
a. burials
b. use of stone tools
c. hunting
d. living in small groups
22. Evidence from both mitochondrial DNA and the Y chromosome indicate that the most recent common ancestor for modern humans lived around ________ years ago.
a. 10,000-20,000
b. 100,000-180,000
c. 280,000-600,000
d. 365,000-853,000
23. According to the replacement model of the emergence of modern humans, the geographic variation seen among modern humans today evolved:
a. before the evolution of anatomically modern humans.
b. alongside the emergence of anatomically modern humans.
c. recently, after the origin of anatomically modern humans.
d. very recently—only in the last several hundred years.
24. Modern humans exploited a wider variety of foods than Neandertals, and eventually developed agriculture, both of which:
a. helped modern humans increase population growth.
b. led to increased brain size among modern humans.
c. allowed modern humans to live outside of tropical areas.
d. forced modern humans to migrate much more than Neandertals did.
25. What may be the most striking difference between later modern humans and earlier hominins?
a. Unlike earlier hominins, modern humans used a smaller variety of weapons, but the weapons they had were more effective.
b. Unlike earlier hominins, modern humans had a less varied diet.
c. Unlike earlier hominins, modern humans made extensive use of symbolism.
d. Unlike earlier hominins, modern humans did not engage in complex burial rituals for their dead.